1. The Rise of Dictatorships

2. Depression in Europe Didn’t have the same kind of prosperity as North America in the 1920’s Still trying to recover from WW1, Depression made things worse! High unemployment, food shortages, lawlessness. Led people to think about changing their government and economic structure

3. One Option: Communism

4. Why would people think Communism was a good idea?

5. USSR Josef Stalin takes over Communist party after the death of Lenin. Ruthless and Cruel Leader. Economic and agricultural policies killed millions of Soviets. Under his leadership the Soviet Union became a totalitarian state: every part of people’s lives controlled by the state.

6. FASCISM

7. Why would people be interested in having a powerful leader and military in charge?

8. Italy Benito Mussolini “Il Duce” comes to power 1922 Established the first Fascist govt. Extremely nationalistic, militaristic police state. Opposed to democracy- One party has absolute control of media, economy and bureaucracy.

9. Mussolini and the Italian Fascists set an example for others: Francisco Franco and the Falange Govt. in Spain. Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist Workers Party (Nazi’s) in Germany.